JPEGs are ‘not the future of Web3 and NFT’: Polygon Studios Metaverse Lead

In the first years of NFT space so far it has been profile pictures and artwork that have given top dollar sales and consistently dominated headlines. But as the market develops and the immersive internet of the future metaverse takes shape, will tokenized images continue to be the most prominent use case for NFTs?

Brian Trunzo, metaverse manager at Polygon Studios, doesn’t think so. In an interview at the Chainlink SmartCon 2022 conference, he said DecryptDan Roberts and Stacy Elliott that the crypto industry will have achieved mainstream adoption Web3 technology, NFTs and the metaverse when “we stop saying it” – when these terms are no longer necessary.

Trunzo believes that skeptics of the technology are informed by a limited understanding of Web3 and suggests that a broader set of NFT use cases will take hold in the future. “That’s because their understanding of it is what the mainstream media reports to be right-click-save JPEGs, an investable asset class – which is not the future of Web3 and NFT, in my mind,” he explained.

An NFT is a blockchain token which can serve as proof of ownership for an item. It can represent digital things like profile pictures, artwork, and collectibles, but also interactive video game items, customer engagement rewards, property deeds, and more.

Polygon Studios works with creators and companies that build further Polygona side chain scaling network for Ethereumthe leading one blockchain for NFTs and decentralized apps. In his role as metaverse leader, Trunzo and his team help pave the way for technology to support immersive applications and NFT-powered experiences from diverse creators.

He pointed Starbucks recent NFT announcement as an example of how he sees the assets being used as a technology layer rather than an asset class in its own right. Starbucks will use Polygon to give away NFT stamps to customers, as well as sell premium NFTs, all of which can provide customers with real-world benefits and experiences.

“If Web2 was measured in engagement, [then] Web3 will be measured in gamification – brand experience,” he explained.

As for Starbucks, it won’t be a game-like 3D metaverse like Decentralized country or The sandboxbut the NFT-powered program is designed to engage users across digital and physical spaces.

That kind of Web3 gamification is one of the biggest opportunities he sees in the space, along with digital fashion. Trunzo, who previously helped found real-world menswear brandssaid that metaverse’s fashion will tap into users’ needs not only for self-expression, but also vanity and a desire to show off virtual “flexes”.

And when it comes to real video game experiences, Trunzo is unsurprisingly on the side of the debate that sees NFTs as a potential benefit. Many players are not excited about NFTspartly due to fraud and speculation, but also a widespread belief that creators and publishers will use them to extract even more value from players.

Even with that stigma out there, Trunzo expects a “genie out of the bottle moment” where more and more players embrace the benefits of using NFTs in games. In his view, the ability for players to truly own their progress and unlock perks such as NFT assets – which can then be sold or perhaps even across other games – will be a real plus.

But he doesn’t expect all future video games to use NFTs when that happens. Some games may live entirely on-chain, some may not see a need for NFTs, and others may land somewhere in between with modest or limited Web3 functionality.

“We’re not trying to shove it down people’s throats that you have to incorporate NFTs into your game,” Trunzo said.

Meanwhile, some early metaverse games has been criticized for stunning graphics compared to the traditional gaming industry’s top titles. Trunzo acknowledged that Web3 gaming is early, but also said that games don’t necessarily need hyper-realistic graphics to look beautiful and stand the test of time.

Trunzo pointed to “timeless IP” like popular Nintendo games, including 2002 GameCube favorite The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – a title that bucked trends by adopting a celebratory cartoonish look rather than hyper-realistic design. Twenty years later, it has arguably held up better than many games from that era. “You play it today and it’s beautiful,” he said.

Will the same be said for, for example, Decentraland in 20 years? Trunzo believes that Web3 games will ultimately come in all shapes and sizes—with some adopting high-end graphics and others opting for simpler or lo-fi aesthetics. “I think there will be something for everyone,” he said.